Carroll: Viva La Raza

Since his birthday was yesterday, Kevin Carroll is back with a heartfelt piece about Eddie.

We honor a legend. A trailblazer. An icon. One of the best to ever step foot in between those ropes.

Eddie Guerrero.

I was just starting to watch wrestling when we lost Eddie, far too soon. For years, I had no choice but to wonder just what wrestling was like when Guerrero graced the squared circle with his presence.

Then, with the advent of the WWE Network, I was formally introduced to the master of the Frog Splash, Mr. Lie, Cheat and Steal himself.

And what an introduction it was.

To me, Eddie Guerrero is one of those dudes who is widely accepted as an all-time great, but still manages to fly under the radar when it comes to the “greatest of all time” discussions. He’s an underrated legend.

I’m not here to stake a claim that Eddie was the greatest to ever do it, I’m simply here to recall my memories of Eddie and to celebrate his life on this, what would have been his 52nd birthday.

Eddie was damn near flawless in that ring, whether executing a simple hip toss or locking in the Lasso from El Paso on an opponent sure to submit. He made everything look so smooth and easy, to the point where you might think you could do it yourself.

Of course, you couldn’t. No one can.

There’s just something special about watching Eddie in the ring. Maybe it’s because of his untimely passing, but every Eddie match feels like an event, a spectacle. You need to tune in when Eddie’s on your television screen, no matter at what point in his career he was at.

And what a career it was! From his days in ECW, to WCW, and finally to the WWE, Eddie was a masterful mix of character, charisma and execution. He ripped off hurricanranas as easy as some people pull out their simplest moves, much to the delight of the live crowd, and anyone who has the good fortune to watch him after the fact (myself included).

I most admire him for his matches with Rey Mysterio, my favorite wrestler of all time. From their clash at Halloween Havoc, to their ladder match at Summerslam 2005, the two had an undeniable chemistry that just couldn’t be matched. Two exceptional luchadors going to battle and wowing everyone in the building, what could be wrong about that?

He also had legendary epics with the likes of Chris Benoit, Kurt Angle, and who could forget his WWE Title victory over Brock Lesnar at No Way Out 2004? That was peak Eddie Guerrero, the only man who could cheat his way to victory and be adored for it.

That was just part of his otherworldly charm.

It hurts to not have Eddie with us anymore. He’d have undoubtedly won the world title again, been able to put on great matches with the likes of CM Punk, and maybe even some of today’s stars like Daniel Bryan and AJ Styles.

It makes my mouth water just thinking about the possibilities. But sadly, they’re just pipe dreams for this wrestling fan.

It’s been 14 years since we lost Eddie. I may not have even been into wrestling when Eddie died, but I still think heavily about him every year around the time of his passing. It’s unfair that we were robbed of such a wrestling genius in the prime of his career.

His legacy was and has been carried on, by Mysterio, by his nephew Chavo Guerrero, and by countless wrestlers inspired by Eddie’s body of work.

There’s no doubt in my mind that every time someone hits a frog splash, or any aerial attacks, Eddie’s smiling down at them. There’s a debt owed to Eddie from many of today’s wrestlers, guys and gals who wouldn’t be half the wrestlers they are without someone like Eddie to blaze the trail before them.

Happy birthday, Eddie. Viva la Raza.